The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 267 First Month
For safety reasons, Li was quarantined outside for a few days and inspected the army before returning to the palace.

That day was New Year’s Eve.

The ministers held a group visit in the East and West Court Halls.

In the newly renovated Changsheng Hall, the emperor's family and important ministers were in a stately manner, welcoming the New Year together. Yin Ying, the Internal Music Bureau official, and Yu Daolian, the Doctor of Music, led the female musicians to perform dances and music.

Li Renmei, Zhazhu and Xiaoxiu led the performances of sumo and acrobatics.

For a time, there was singing and dancing, and the warm breeze was fragrant.

However, after a few drinks, the saint left the party midway.

In the dim side room, Helan Dao General Xu Yanruo led Li Jingshen into the room.

"Your Majesty!" Xu Yanruo was a little excited, surprised and unbelievable. At this special time, he was actually summoned alone.

Behind him, Li Jingshen followed suit and performed the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects: "I, the Guzang magistrate and the judicial recorder of this area, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

His rough face showed fatigue, and also had a sense of vicissitudes and steadiness that seemed out of place.

"No courtesy, sit down."

The master and the disciple stopped dancing.

After taking a seat, I saw a handsome face with heroic appearance, dark pupils, and an indifferent temperament like an immortal. He stood with his hands behind his back and said, "You are the first son of the Li family who is qualified to come here."

Prince De was surprised and delighted, but he did not dare to show it. He asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, what do you want to teach me?"

"Don't be nervous. This is not a court meeting. I just want to chat with you." The saint sat down opposite him and asked casually, "How do you think my Li family's rule can last long?"

Prince De calmed down and answered under Xu Yanruo's stern but encouraging gaze, "The key to maintaining the Mandate of Heaven lies in the hearts of the people. But in my opinion, if we lose the support of the soldiers, the Holy Tang Dynasty may change its flag at any time. Peasants who cannot get enough food and clothing, foreign enemy countries, princes...they also have the power to subvert. If these problems are solved, I believe the dynasty will last forever."

Prince De said this, but he knew in his heart that even if he could revive the Tang Dynasty three times, if there were incompetent rulers in the future, the Tang Dynasty would sooner or later be doomed. Although Xianzong and his father were rare saviors, each generation can only do what it can do, and the rise and fall of the empire needs to be passed on by descendants.

The sage naturally saw what he was thinking and said calmly, "You are right. Problems will never stop arising. For example, I have not yet solved all the old problems, and new problems have come one after another. Another example is the Zhenguan Great Reign. After Taizong's death, only three generations of Gaozong, Lidi, and Lidi destroyed the country. The wisdom and ability of future generations cannot be interfered with by human power."

Hearing this, Prince De seemed to have seen the scene where a raging fire was burning in Kyoto and the Li family of Chang'an became fish on the chopping board.

Is this the way of heaven? Death is the law of heaven and earth, and it is natural for things to die. King De shuddered and said solemnly: "All we can say is that we should do our best in this generation and choose an excellent successor. If the country can last for one generation, then let it exist for another generation."

"That's right." The saint nodded and asked again: "After staying in Liangzhou for so long, how do you think we can govern Guanxi well?"

"The first is Tubo." After thinking for a while, Prince De said, "The Jincheng Campaign has pacified Longyou, but the Tubo in Hexi is still unwilling to give up. They have invaded several times since last year. Fortunately, they are not led by the Zamp or the Great Theorist. Each time, the various clans make trouble under the organization of the Shinto officials, so the scale is not large and they have been repelled. However, their overall strength in Hexi is still very strong, far exceeding that of China."

The saint stroked his beard, not surprised. Just after the Chaos Rebellion, during the Zhonghe period, the Hexi Tubo launched a large-scale counterattack against the Jingyuan Army and captured Yuanzhou. After Emperor Zhaozong moved to Luoyang, they set their sights on the Ganzhou Uighurs and the Shuofang Army.

If we extend the whole historical dimension, with the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the transfer of the capital, the ruling center and focus shifted. Even though the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties tried their best, they only achieved some results, such as opening up the border in Xihe, stationing ministers in Tibet, and reincarnating the soul boy, but did not achieve the actual full rule over the vast western borders such as Tibet, Qinghai, Guanbei, and Hexi. In this process, various Western forces competed to appear on the scene, from being weak fighters to slowly showing their skills.

"The second is the variety of types." Prince De continued, "The Umos generally obey orders, and some of their strong men have been incorporated, but many of them still set up their own factions and still do their own things. If the interests of the court conflict with theirs, I think they will fight against the court like they did against the Zamp. Because of the strong implementation of various policies such as household registration, there are already signs of this. But the general kingly way cannot be stopped, and it cannot be stopped."

"Then there are the Guiyi Army and the Uighurs."

The saint did not comment, and said, "Tell me what to do specifically."

Prince De silently observed his expression and said, "Tubbo is our eternal enemy, so we have no choice but to fight."

"The Guiyi Army is powerful and self-centered, but we can tolerate it. First, we share the same bloodline. Second, they have been isolated overseas for many years, and the court has not shown them much substantial favor. In addition, there are many powerful families within the army, and it is difficult for Zhang to be a loyal minister."

"You can order Zhang Chengfeng to come to the court and relocate his garrison. If he does, then we won't disappoint Zhang Yichao, and it will be reasonable to continue to use troops against the Guiyi Army. After all, apart from the Zhang family, we don't need to give face to others. If the Zhang family refuses to obey, there is nothing wrong with using troops against them. The emperor doesn't need the consent of the Zhang family to recover the Western Regions. Compared with China's recovery of its old territory, the Zhang family is nothing to mention. Those who resist the king's rule are irreconcilable enemies."

The saint showed a slight appreciation on his face, but said nothing.

"The Ganzhou Uighurs are our allies, and General Li is an official in the court. We can try to move their tribe away and split them up."

"Eliminate all traces of local separatist forces, armed groups and Tibetans, and then continue to vigorously migrate. After another 30 years, a new generation of young people will grow up, and then we will be able to govern."

The saint's lips curled up into a smile, but then the sunny sky turned cloudy and he gave Xu Yanruo a sinister look.

Have you prepared speeches and lines of speech for your apprentice in advance?
Old monk Xu Yanruo entered into a state of meditation.

The saint's expressionless face stared at Prince De for a long time.

Prince De also tried to remain calm, put his hands on his legs and straightened his back to show that he was open and honest.

The atmosphere was oppressive for a while, and then the saint laughed: "Good."

"The Tuoba tribe and the Zheju tribe were fighting for land. The Tuoba tribe accused Zhe Zongben of relying on the support of the Linzhou Yang family to protect his people from stealing Tuoba's sheep. The Zheju tribe wrote to the Tuoba tribe, saying that the Tuoba tribe insulted him by calling him a low-born race and called Zheju a barbarian dog." The sage raised a practical question and asked, "Rubbings between ministers happen every day. How do you think this should be handled?"

Xu Yanruo's heart tensed up.

Prince De thought for a moment and said, "All three parties are at fault. Although the Tanguts are constantly at odds with each other, the Zheju tribe's act of stealing the sheep of the Tuoba tribe is stealing, and stealing is against the law of the country. The Zheju tribe should be severely reprimanded and ordered to return the stolen goods and understand the power of the law."

"Zheju and Tuoba share the same origin and have been familiar with each other for a long time. Calling Zheju a barbarian is just outrageous and self-important. Considering that they are the victims, they were angry for a moment and punished it to write a petition to defend itself."

"Any disputes should be appealed to the imperial court. There is no room for local cliques. The Yang family relied on the support of the Deputy Privy Envoy and Lady Beidi to provide the Zheju tribe with the confidence to fight against the Tuoba tribe. The two ladies should be reprimanded and ordered to strictly discipline their mother's clan."

Xu Yanruo breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at Prince De, this young man's eyebrows and eyes are very similar to Taizong's real appearance, with a broad frame, a broad forehead, a handsome face, and he is sensible and has his own ideas. Although this opinion is not very mature, it is basically acceptable, which is worthy of his daily teachings.

"Good." The saint still used that vague word "good", but he was actually very satisfied in his heart. As Prince De grew older, while the other children were still young, and with this performance, he had already planned to cultivate some more followers for Prince De, find a preliminary "team", and bring them around to train them personally, so that they could be ready to take the throne at any time.

"Okay, go out and meet your mother." The saint's expression was much warmer this time: "After you left, she cried day and night and became haggard. Stay with her."

On the other side of the wall, Concubine Shu also quietly and hurriedly left the curtain.

Seeing that the saint only summoned Xu Yanruo and his son, she, who had been made uneasy by the other concubines, was afraid that the saint would deal with her and her son, so she tried every means to eavesdrop. It turned out that after talking about these things, she was relieved to see her son coped appropriately. She also couldn't help but feel a little proud, because she always heard people talking about the incompetence of Prince De.

Under the eaves of a corridor farther away, the privy envoy who was watching secretly saw the mother and son embrace each other warmly after the Dewang came out. They seemed extremely happy. He felt a little unfair and a little anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He narrowed his eyes and turned away into the darkness. Back at the Changsheng Hall, the New Year's singing reached its climax, and the ministers kept making bold speeches.

Zhu Wen is dead, and we should create greater glory in the third year of Qianning.

The establishment of the new post of Safe Deposit Manager is undoubtedly a wonderful way to make money granted by God, but the national treasury will have to pay 500,000 strings of cash into it every year in the future. This is not good, and we must find a way to get the saint to pay more.

Bashu must be conquered as soon as possible, there is really no time to wait. If Cui Yi is capable, he will do it. If he is not, a new prime minister will be sent to Shu.

Taking advantage of Tuoba Sigong's death, the Guanbei region should strive to be fully incorporated into the direct administration.

We also need to find out what the Security Bureau, the Confidential Bureau and the Education Temple, which are about to be established and assigned to the Northern Department, are specifically responsible for.

Of course, the most important thing is to persuade the saint to kill all the remaining evildoers as soon as possible to prevent the eunuchs from counterattacking, otherwise the emperor and his ministers will not be at ease...

Although all kinds of beautiful expectations lingered in his ears, the Privy Councilor was not happy at all.

On the contrary, concubines like Liang Xiaoyao, Dugu Hua and Cui Yuzhang are heartless.

Hey.

Zhengyang, oh Zhengyang, when will you grow up? My youth won't last for many more years.

In the side room, after the King of De left, the Saint showed some emotion: "This boy is not too old, it is hard to say what his future will be. I think he behaves like a gentleman, which is good or bad. In this evil world, you scheme against me and I scheme against you. Just these are far from enough. Only the truly strong can suppress the four poles. Those villain's tricks, dirty thoughts, dirty rivers and lakes, ugly temples, and ruthless families, Xu Gong must also teach him. You don't have to use them, but you have to understand them."

Xu Yanruo sighed, feeling sorry for the corruption of such a pure and innocent child, and helpless about the way of the king. This is the reality, the inherent flaws of imperial power cannot be changed by the ruling class itself.

"Does Mr. Xu think highly of this boy?" the sage suddenly asked.

Xu Yanruo's wrinkles spread out and he asked, "Your Highness, isn't he worthy of my esteem? He is kind-hearted and respectful. He has talent, perseverance, looks, and amazing plasticity."

Gave King De a very high evaluation.

"I hope Mr. Xu is not protecting him in front of me out of consideration for the relationship between master and disciple."

"This is not the style of the Donghai Xu family." Xu Yanruo gathered his sleeves, feeling mixed emotions: "I will remain honest and upright even if I die. I'm leaving now."

What he likes is that he might be able to teach a capable leader who can fight for the rest of his life. What he worries about is that this is not a good thing for his family. He has fallen too deep into the issue of the crown prince.

"Go, let's have a feast." The saint ended the topic.

In the Daming Palace, there were fireworks and lights illuminating the Taiye Lake. The palace maids ran around, cheering loudly. The New Year's Eve celebration entered its most lively stage.

The Sanqing Temple, on the other hand, was icy and quiet.

Meng Cairen sat on the swing under the pear tree, quietly looking at the flames in the sky, listening to the noise outside the wall, and imagining himself wandering among the crowd, boating on the lake, holding a torch.

But when she touches her round belly, she lowers her head again.

What should I do after the child is born?

"Sister, come and help me." A clear and joyful voice shouted.

In the small courtyard, the firelight flickered. Zheng Zhaoyi sat on a stool, and across from her were three charcoal stoves, each with a bubbling cauldron.

In front of him is a chopping board.

After putting the soup noodles into the pot, Zheng Zhaoyi washed the chopping board and started cutting the mutton.

Meng Cairen came over absentmindedly and said, "You have become a monk, but you still eat mutton."

"We are fake nuns." Zheng Zhaoyi smiled and said, "How can there be a nun with a big belly? I just like to eat meat and cannot live without it. Help me prepare the ingredients. When it's done, call Zhang Hui and Shi Yuan over to join us. Alas, we are all miserable people. I remember that New Year's Eve in Fengxiang that year. We were hungry for two days and two nights. Zheng Congtang got us a good meal, but we concubines didn't even bother to put on our clothes. We squatted on the bed with our naked bodies and hair draped over our bodies and ate up several pounds of meat. Haha. I don't know if it was human flesh or something else..."

Zheng Zhaoyi kept mumbling, and her words were somewhat incoherent.

As he spoke, the knife in his hand chopped the meat, making a "crunch" sound and sending bone fragments flying everywhere.

Fortunately, after being taken home, the Saint and Concubine Shu treated her very seriously, and she felt safe psychologically. Otherwise, given her condition, she might have gone insane. "Don't say it. I don't want to remember it for the rest of my life." Meng Cairen shook her head: "Life is short. I just want to remember some happy things."

After saying that, he turned around and went to find Zhang Hui.

On the fifth floor of the Octagon Building, Zhang Hui, abnormally, lay down on the bed as soon as it got dark, hiding in the quilt barrier and escaping from reality in a daze.

The night was long, and suddenly there was a rustling of wind in the bedroom, and the beaded curtains were torn apart.

"Head...where is my mouth? Can I not speak?" a fierce voice questioned.

Zhang Hui looked in the direction of the sound and his hair stood on end. He saw a headless ghost wearing fish scale armor walking back and forth beside the bed, rummaging through drawers, with hot blood gushing out of his neck.

Zhang Hui widened her eyes and wanted to call for help, but her mouth seemed to be blocked and she couldn't breathe.

Then the door was pushed open, and a vast white mist rolled in. Inside stood a group of warriors dressed in red. Their hair was disheveled, their tongues were red, and they stood there like ghost soldiers. Then a burly fat man in a red dragon robe walked out. As he walked, he picked up things on the ground, stuffed pieces of meat into his clothes, and put them on his face.

The white mist was rising, and his face could not be seen clearly, but Zhang Hui knew instantly that he was Zhu Wen!

"Haha, I'm just kidding!" After grabbing a tongue and pressing it into his mouth with both hands, the fat man laughed up to the sky: "I'm back again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Yanzhang, Zhang Cunjing, Guo Xu, Guo Yan, Li Tangbin and others also walked out from behind him.

"Catch this bitch and make her a prostitute for the devil!" Li Tangbin said sternly, "And Wang Yanzhang, Zhang Xian, Gao Jichang, these bastards!"

"Queen, how are you? You and Li Shu were on equal terms, and you even messed around in my mourning hall." Zhu Wen strode up, pointed at the ghosts behind him, and said jokingly, "Hey, did you see that? You have two choices now. One is to follow me to the underworld and be my most despicable and shameless slave forever. The other is to be tortured to death by my soldiers for three whole days and nights, and then die with your rotten and dirty body! You are usually high and mighty, aren't you a fairy? This time-"

"Get lost!" Zhang Hui shouted, "Shui Wusheng, Yang Gui!"

Zhu Wen sneered, "It seems that you still don't understand your situation? Come on, guys! Let this fairy go to hell!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Hui's scream finally resounded throughout the bedroom, and she jumped up from the couch and woke up.

The light of fireworks occasionally shone on the window sashes, and everything was silent in the darkness.

Zhang Hui, who was already sweating profusely and wearing only a white bellyband, sat on the couch, her chest and shoulders rising and falling violently, her wide-open eyes staring at the door, her hands scratching on the bed again and again, repeatedly confirming reality and dreams. After doing this for dozens of times, she slowly let go of her hands, rested her face on her knees, and sobbed softly.

"Tianxian Yuanjun? What's wrong with you?" At this time, Meng Cairen's gentle voice came from outside the door.

Zhang Hui quickly wiped away her tears and adjusted her breathing: "It was just a nightmare, it's okay."

Although Meng Cairen didn't know what she dreamed about, she could guess what she had dreamed about after hearing Zhang Hui's faint crying voice and the scream of "Supreme" that she had heard downstairs. As a person of the same kind, she could empathize with him the most. She and Zheng Zhaoyi often woke up shouting "Qi Lang!"

"Can I come in?" Meng Cairen asked hesitantly.

"It's nothing serious. It's really not necessary. I'll just continue sleeping."

"Okay. Don't be afraid, I'm downstairs. How about I go and ask Shi Fei to come accompany you?"

"Thank you, I really don't need it."

"You——" Meng Cairen was speechless. She knew that what Tianxian Yuanjun needed most now was the comfort of a man, not a woman. To be precise, a brother. Therefore, she asked caringly, "Should I ask the saint to come over?"

This time, there was silence in the room. I didn't know whether they were asleep or what.

After waiting for a while and seeing no response, Meng Cairen sighed and left.

After talking to Zheng Zhaoyi, they were a little worried. They felt that Zhang Hui's mood was too volatile and a little neurotic. If she did something irrational, such as jumping off a building, it would be bad. They all thought it would be better to let Emperor Li take a look at her.

Just then, a saint with a faint smell of alcohol walked into the courtyard.

"Sister-in-law."

"Second sister-in-law."

He even took the time to come and accompany them. Meng Cairen was somewhat touched, but was too ashamed to see him, so she covered her face with her sleeves and walked away to hide. After the fusion that night, she could only accept getting along in the "lights off mode".

Zheng Zhaoyi smiled and said, "You come here, the Shufei, Xianfei, and Defei won't be angry, right?"

Sister-in-law, why are you so teary?

"You can talk to her first." Zheng Zhaoyi pointed to the fifth floor with an uncontrollable smile on her lips.

The saint was shocked.

He bowed and wanted to run up, but he held back - he couldn't lose points in front of his two sisters-in-law, he had to be fair.

In the bedroom, in the dead of winter, Zhang Hui was still wearing only a white bellyband, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and her hair disheveled. There was no light on, and she just sat there in the dark without saying a word.

“Tap, tap, tap…” The sound of footsteps was heard.

The nervous Zhang Hui shook her hair and raised her head.

Soon, I heard the saint's greeting: "Sister."

When Zhang Hui heard this teasing title that was slightly amusing, masculine, and steady, his heart warmed up, and his tense body and mind relaxed at once. He said hoarsely, "Why are you here? Aren't you having a feast with your ministers and family members right now?"

"You are my woman too, let me take a look at you."

Zhang Hui: “…”

The saint pushed the door open and walked in.

After lighting the candle, he sat down beside the bed and gently held her in his arms: "Why are your eyes red? What are you sad about?"

Hearing this, Zhang Hui's last bit of dullness disappeared, and her eyes became even redder. She turned her head away, buried herself deeply in his arms, and cried, "More."

"Is it possible that Zhu Wen is not dead yet? Did he come to you in your dream?"

"Ah."

The saint was "furious" and said, "Tomorrow I will find someone to dig his head into a rice bowl for you."

Zhang Hui burst into laughter and said, "I'm not that perverted."

Immediately, his expression became uncertain again.

"You go to sleep first."

After hearing this and being let go of the saint's arms, Zhang Hui sat there like a puppet, staring at the saint's back.

"I won't leave." The saint turned around and gave him a look.

Zhang Hui then lay down in a daze, pulling the quilt over his naked body. Then, he moved a little inside, leaving half of the bed exposed, and turned his head slightly to look at the door. In addition to the howling north wind outside, there were also the sounds of dense armor knocking against each other and footsteps. The saint stood at the window to the right of the door and whispered a few orders.

For some reason, the sound of weapons that usually disgusted Zhang Hui now felt at ease.

Finally, the window was opened a little, and two charcoal stoves with crackling sounds were brought in. The gloomy room immediately became warmer and brighter.

The saint walked back.

He put his sword on the desk, leaned over and kissed Zhang Hui on the forehead: "Don't worry, sleep. I want to see if Zhu San dares to come to me."

Zhang Hui closed her eyes, feeling the hot and numbing sensation on her forehead.

After a while, the saint stood up.

Just as I was about to sit down, my sleeve was grabbed.

"I won't leave."

Zhang Hui then let go and watched the saint sit down at the desk a few steps away from the couch.

"I really won't leave." The saint was speechless: "Why are you so timid and sensitive today? This is not the style of the queen."

Zhang Hui looked at him with her big eyes, smiling, but said nothing.

Just look at it until you fall asleep.

One watch of wind, one watch of snow.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but Zhang Hui woke up again, and it was still the same dream.

The stove was halfway burned, and the red-yellow glow dimmed, adding a bit of horror to the bedroom. The footsteps and sounds of weapons outside the door also disappeared. Zhang Hui's heart was pounding, and she felt that there was something fishy everywhere. She sat up with a start, and the saint was gone from behind the desk.

you liar!
"Li Ye!"

The quilt under me was pulled hard.

"Can you please stop moving when you sleep?" Beside the pillow, the saint rolled up the blanket and poked half of his head out: "Since you sit like this, the heat in the quilt has escaped. Also, what do you mean by calling my name directly? Don't you know the law that you cannot recite the honored name in vain?"

Zhang Hui was dizzy and realized that she had forgotten to look at the pillow.

"I won't move." Zhang Hui lay back down.

Feeling uncomfortable, he turned over and faced the saint, his chest directly against the saint's nose, and whispered, "I thought you left."

"It seems you are not tired enough." Emperor Li sighed, sat up and said, "I can only give you two injections."

After a long time, perhaps because she was really sleepy, or perhaps because she was completely relieved, Zhang Hui, who had no strength left, barely changed the bed sheet and finally fell asleep in Emperor Li's arms.

Only the old cow was left, groaning inwardly.

(End of this chapter)